The ginkgo or maidenhair tree is widely planted worldwide, including New York state, but the dioecious tree rarely escapes cultivation, and is unlikely to reach maturity as a naturalized tree in this region. This tree has been excluded from the New York Flora Atlas.[2]

The order Pinales contains the conifers, or cone-bearing seed plants. In New York, this includes the three families Pinaceae (pine, fir, spruce, and larch), Cupressaceae (cypress, juniper, and arborviteae), and Taxaceae (yew).

Most of the Pinales are "evergreen," maintaining most of their foliage and its green color through the winter. The exception is the genus Larix (larch) in the Pinaceae. Larix trees are deciduous and lose their needle-like leaves in the winter. Most Pinales also have "needle-like" leaves, often referred to simply as needles. Though many are very flat needles, such as the yews, spruces, and firs. And most of the Cupressaceae leaves could be described as more "scale-like".

The only member of the Quinquefoliae (white-pines) found outside of cultivation in New York is Pinus strobus (eastern white pine), and it has been reported from every county in the state. The members of this section normally have their needle-like leaves grouped in bundles (fascicles) of five, though some may occasionally be found in bundles of three or four.

The oldest living eastern white pine on record dates to the mid 16th century, and was found in Nelson Swamp, Madison County, in 1997.[1][2]

↑Category 5 Plants - native invasives - Eastern Region invasive plants, ranked by degree of invasiveness as based on information from States (1998) US Forest Service (doubtfully invasive in New York, where it is considered to be endangered)

There are three native species of spruce trees in New York, but the two non-native species seem to be more well-known.

Spruce trees can be easily distinguished from other conifers by their needles, which

grow singly (unlike pine-needles, which grow in clusters),

are square in cross-section (unlike fir and hemlock needles, which are flatter),

are relatively hard with sharp points,

are attached to small woody projections that remain after needles fall.

Spruce cones are also papery, unlike most other conifers. However, it's usually more difficult to differentiate spruces trees from each other. Douglas fir can also be misidentified as a spruce because of their needles, which are also square in cross-section, but not as stiff.

Although commonly called Douglas-fir, Pseudotsuga trees are not true firs. The genus name means "false hemlock," but phylogenetically, Douglas firs are more often grouped in the Pinoideae with the pines, spruces and larches than with either the firs or hemlocks, which are placed in the Abietoideae. Recent studies, in fact, place Douglas fir closer to the larches, in the subfamily Laricoideae.[1]

Douglas-firs are often planted in New York but seldom if ever naturalize permanently.

The larches (Larix spp.) are deciduous conifers. Of the three species found in New York, only the American larch or tamarack is native. The European and Japanese larches occasionally naturalize near plantations and individuals that have been planted.

Among the other words for tamarack is hackmatack, which means "wood used for snowshoes" in the Abenaki language.[1]

Tsuga contains the hemlocks, of which, the only New York native is the eastern hemlock, Tsuga canadensis. Hemlocks in eastern North America are threatened by the hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae).

There are about three Taxodium taxa, all of which are native to southeastern North America. Of these, Taxodium distichum var. distichum has been reported in New York, mainly along the Hudson River and on Long Island. Whether it has truly naturalized in the state in uncertain.

Most of the Cupressoideae in New York go by the common names "cedar" or "juniper." But there is some resistance to calling any of them "cedar," as this could be seen to imply that they are of the Eurasian genus Cedrus, which does not have any naturalized populations in New York, and is normally included in the Pinaceae, not Cupressoideae. Instead, many prefer the common names "arborvitae" or "whitecedar" for Thuja occidentalis, and "red juniper" or "redcedar" for Juniperus virginiana.

Thuja (pronounced either thoo-juh or thoo-yuh) is Greek for juniper and other trees with aromatic wood. There are two North American Thuja species: T. occidentalis (eastern arborvitae or northern whitecedar) and T. plicata (western redcedar). There are also three asian Thuja species. Of the five Thuja species, only T. occidentalis is known to occur in New York.

The American yew (Taxus canadensis) is the only Taxus species native to New York. The Japanese yew (Taxus cuspidata) and the English yew (Taxus baccata) are widely cultivated in New York and occasionally escape. The Japanese yew has been found to naturalize and has become common in the forests of some New York counties. Its invasive tendencies deserve monitoring.